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About this project

These R/C wheels will go into production as soon as we reach our funding goal

Please pre-order by pledging

*** Please note that the wheels shown in the video above and the photos below are PROTOTYPES, which means they have a rough surface. The actual product will have a nice smooth matte finish. ***

** Update:

We are going to offer the wheels in WHITE as well as black! That way you can dye the wheels to match your car.

The Project

The goal of this project is to fund the production of plastic vintage style wheels for 1:10 scale Radio Controlled (R/C) cars, modeled after classic steel rims.

Ever since I was a kid I have been in love with the R/C car hobby. The great thing about professional R/C cars is how endlessly customizable they are. There's nothing like building and customizing an R/C car, racing it, and then customizing it some more-- everything from suspension to chassis to electronics, and of course wheels.

I have always liked muscle cars, sleepers, rat rods and junkyard specials, and for a long time I have wished for a set of vintage style wheels for my R/C cars that look like classic steel rims, also known as "Steelies." So I took things into my own hands, and now here they are! The wheels are designed and ready for the next steps: Injection Mold Fabrication and Manufacturing.

These high quality injection molded wheels will have a matte finish on the wheel face. They are compatible with HPI Racing's vintage style tires.

Your set of Steelie wheels will look great with many different R/C car bodies, especially classic or muscle car bodies and many of the cars in the VTA racing class.

With your pre-order pledges, we will be able to cover the manufacturing costs, and as soon as the first batch is ready, we will ship your wheels.

New to the R/C Hobby?

For those who don't know much about R/C racing, let me fill you in. Hobby-level or "professional" R/C cars are amazing, and the technology keeps getting better.

On-road R/C cars are commonly 1:10 scale, or approximately 17 inches long by 7.5 inches wide and are controlled with handheld radios. If you are new to the hobby or it's been a while, now is a great time to get into it. With today's technology you can buy ready-to-run electric R/C cars that will easily do 50 or 60+MPH right out of the box. I highly recommend checking out your local hobby shop to see some cars and kits firsthand.

Size and Specs

Compatible with vintage style tires from HPI Racing.

Width: 26mm with 0 offset

*** We will also offer a 31mm wheel with a 6mm offset if we raise enough funds beyond our goal. More info below.

Higher Goal

We have done our best to keep our funding goal to a minimum and still create a high quality wheel. If we reach our target of $7,800 we will be able to produce a 26mm wide wheel with zero offset and a matte finish.

If we exceed our goal and reach $11,000 or more, we will also be able to offer a 31mm wheel with a 6mm offset.

If we reach this higher goal, you will choose your wheel sizes before we ship.

Finish

The wheel face will have a matte finish, but if we reach our higher funding goal, we will do our best to offer a glossy finish option, as well. Feel free to leave comments on finish preferences.

Steelie Prototype Photos

*** Please note: the following photos show a prototype rim, which has a rough surface. The actual wheels will have a nice smooth matte finish. ***

Try a whitewall tire for a stock, sleeper, or rat rod look.

Other Tire Options

HPI Racing makes several tires that will fit these wheels, including some vintage style drift tires. The pictures below show the tire used in the VTA racing class:

(Because of the raised lettering, whitewall and redline decals will not work on this tire. But they look fantastic as is!)

Redlines

DECALS - Whitewall and Redline

Along with the wheels, we are offering sets of vinyl decals to create your own whitewall or redline tires. The decals will be precision cut from premium vinyl and have a center alignment hole to help with perfect placement.

WHITEWALL Decal Dimensions: 47mm Inner Diameter, 51mm Outer Diameter

REDLINE Decal Dimensions: 47mm Inner Diameter, 49mm Outer Diameter

Decal Notes and Considerations

Keep in mind that there is no perfect solution for creating whitewalls, redlines, or white lettering on R/C tires, but vinyl decals are the best option I have found. They result in a much cleaner look than attempting to stencil-and-paint. They also adhere better than the paint I have tried. Based on my testing the vinyl decals will stick well, especially if given adequate pressure when applying. Consider using a blow dryer to further help the adhesion.

THESE DECALS ARE NOT PERMANENT. They are removable and can only be applied once. Keep in mind that after enough time and driving the stickers may gradually come loose. Also rememeber that because wheel-mounted tires become slightly stretched, if you decide to remove your tires from the wheel, the vinyl decals will likely wrinkle and loosen.

If you order decals with your wheels, we will include 2 pairs of decals for each pair of wheels to make sure you have extras.

If you are an R/C hobbyist or you know someone who is, consider pledging to our project by pre-ordering some Steelie wheels for yourself or a gift.

Wouldn't a set of Steelies look sweet on this Dodge Challenger!

If you have never dabbled in the R/C hobby, now is a great time to check it out.

There are many amazing car kits out there. If you are looking for a good ready-to-run car kit, you might consider one from HPI, like the Sprint 2 Flux or Sprint 2 Sport. Or you can always start with the chassis of your choice and fully customize each component. If you would prefer something custom, I would recommend looking at the Sakura Zero or a kit from XRAY. The sky is the limit, and now with our new Steelie wheels, the sky just got a little bit higher.

Where does the funding go?

Final Prototypes and tweaks to make sure the rims are as perfect as possible

Injection Mold Tooling

First Batch of Wheels Manufactured and Delivered from the Factory

Kickstarter and Amazon Fees

Whitewall and Redline Decals

Packaging and Shipping

Revisions

The Steelie Wheel design is nearly final but still needs a few minor tweaks and adjustments to give the internal structure optimal support for injection molding and to make sure the wheel face is as perfect as possible. I will post any updates throughout the process.

Spread the Word

We need your help in making this project a success. Please help us spread the word! And be sure to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

And remember, your pre-order pledges are kept safe with Kickstarter. We will only receive your payment if we are 100% successful in reaching our goal.

Thanks for your support!

If we succeed in funding our Steelies, we will have more great stuff to follow, guaranteed.

- Andy

FAQ

You are always free to cancel your pledge any time before funding ends. If we are down to one day remaining, and it looks like we won't be able to offer the 31mm size, feel free to cancel your pledge. Simple as that.